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Unit 3: Family Letter

Geometry Explorations and

the American Tour
In Unit 3, your child will set out on the American Tour, a yearlong
series of mathematical activities examining historical, demographic,
and environmental features of the United States. The American Tour
activities will develop your childs ability to read, interpret, critically
examine, and use mathematical information presented in text, tables,
and graphics. These math skills are vital in our technological age.
Many American Tour activities rely on materials in the American Tour
section of the Student Reference Book. This sectionpart historical
atlas and part almanaccontains maps, data, and other information
from a wide range of sources: the U.S. Census Bureau, the National
Weather Service, and the National Geographic Society.
Unit 3 also will review some geometry concepts from earlier grades
while introducing and expanding on others. In Fourth Grade Everyday
Mathematics, students used a compass to construct basic shapes and
create geometric designs. In this unit, your child will extend these
skills and explore concepts of congruent figures (same size, same
shape), using a compass and straightedge. In addition, students will
use another tool, the Geometry Template. It contains protractors and
rulers for measuring, as well as cutouts for drawing a variety of
geometric figures.

Copyright Wright Group/McGraw-Hill

Finally, students will explore the mathematics and art of

tessellationspatterns of shapes that cover a surface without
gaps or overlaps. They will use math tools to create their own designs.
You can help your child by asking questions about information
presented in newspaper and magazine tables and graphics. Also, the
world is filled with many 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional geometric
forms: angles, line segments, curves, cubes, cylinders, spheres,
pyramids, and so on. Many wonderful geometric patterns can be
seen in nature as well as in the things that people create. It will be
helpful for you and your child to look for and talk about geometric
shapes throughout the year.
Please keep this Family Letter for reference as your child
works through Unit 3.

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Unit 3: Family Letter cont.

Vocabulary
Important terms in Unit 3:

acute angle An angle with a measure greater

than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees.

obtuse angle An angle with a measure greater

than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees.

Acute angle
Obtuse angle

adjacent angles Two angles with a common side

and vertex that do not otherwise overlap. In the
diagram, angles 1 and 2 are adjacent angles. Angles
2 and 3, angles 3 and 4, and angles 4 and 1 are also
adjacent.
4

1
3

radius A line segment from the center of a circle

(or sphere) to any point on the circle (or sphere);
also, the length of this line segment.
radi

us

center

Adjacent angles

congruent Having exactly the same shape and

right angle An angle with a measure of 90

size.

degrees.

Congruent triangles
Right angle

diameter A line segment that passes through the

dia

me

ter

dia

tessellation An arrangement of shapes that covers

a surface completely without overlaps or gaps. Also
called tiling.

me

ter

equilateral triangle A triangle with all three

sides the same length. In an equilateral triangle, all
three angles have the same measure.

A tessellation

vertical (opposite) angles The angles made by

intersecting lines that do not share a common side.
Vertical angles have equal measures. In the diagram,
angles 2 and 4 are a pair of vertical angles. Angles 1
and 3 are another pair of vertical angles.

Equilateral triangles
4

1
3

Copyright Wright Group/McGraw-Hill

center of a circle (or sphere) and has endpoints on

the circle (or sphere); also, the length of this line
segment. The diameter of a circle or sphere is twice
the length of its radius.

Vertical angles

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Unit 3: Family Letter cont.

Building Skills through Games

In Unit 3, your child will practice geometry and computation skills by playing the following games. For
detailed instructions, see the Student Reference Book.
Angle Tangle See Student Reference Book, page 296
Two players will need a protractor and a straightedge to play this game. Playing Angle Tangle gives students
practice in drawing and measuring angles.
High-Number Toss: Decimal Version See Student Reference Book, page 321
This game practices concepts of place value and standard notation. It requires 2 players and number cards
09 (4 of each).
Multiplication Top-It See Student Reference Book, page 334
This game practices the basic multiplication facts. It requires a deck of cards with 4 each of the numbers
110, and can be played by 24 players.
Polygon Capture See Student Reference Book, page 328
This game uses 16 polygons and 16 Property Cards, and is played by partners or 2 teams each with
2 players. Polygon Capture practices identifying properties of polygons related to sides and angles.

Do-Anytime Activities
To work with your child on the concepts taught in this unit and in previous units, try these interesting and
rewarding activities:

1. Together, read the book A Cloak for the Dreamer by Marilyn Burns.
2. When you are at home or at a store, ask your child to identify different types of polygons such as
triangles, squares, pentagons, and hexagons.

Copyright Wright Group/McGraw-Hill

3. Visit the Web site for the U.S. Bureau of the Census at http://www.census.gov/. Have your child write three
interesting pieces of information that he or she learned from the Web site.
4. Look for examples of bar graphs in newspapers or magazines. Ask your child to explain the information
shown by a graph.

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Unit 3: Family Letter cont.

As You Help Your Child with Homework

As your child brings assignments home, you may want to go over the instructions together, clarifying them as
necessary. The answers listed below will guide you through this units Study Links.

Study Link 31

2.

The oval is the only shape

that is curved.

3.

The crossed-out shape is the only shape

that is not convex.

1. Illinois
2. 851,000; 4,822,000; 8,712,000; 12,051,000
3. 3,971,000

4. 3,890,000

5. 3,339,000

6. The population increases by about 4,000,000

every fifty years.
7. About 16,000,000

8. About 14,000,000

2. 5,472,000

4. a. About 250,000,000

3. H
b. About 55%

Study Link 33

1. 60; 90; 60

2. 120; 60; 60

Study Link 39

1. Sample answer: Draw a line between two of the
vertices to create two triangles. Since the sum of
the angles in each triangle is 180, the sum of
the angles in a quadrangle is 360.
3. a.b.

Study Link 34

1. 70

2. 50

3. 110

4. 130

5. 60

6 . 180

7. 120

8. 90

10. 150

tear

c.d.

D
A

tear

tear

11. 170

C
B

tear

Study Link 35

1. acute; 12

Study Link 38

2. 360

3. 90; 135; 135 4. 30; 75

9. 50

The trapezoid is the only shape without

two pairs of parallel sides.

1.3. Samples of tessellations vary.

Study Link 32

1. A

4.

Study Link 310

2. acute; 65

3. obtuse; 103

a.

b.

c.

d.

Copyright Wright Group/McGraw-Hill

4. Sample answer: Angle D and angle E

1. Sample answers are given.

5. Sample answer: Angle D and angle F

6. Sample answer: Angle G and angle H
9. 14,670

11. 11R1

Study Link 36

1. scalene

2. isosceles

3. isosceles; right

4. equilateral; isosceles
5. Objects and types of angles vary.
6. 11,761

7. 5,750

8. 42,405

9. 11

2.

90

130 50
50 130

40

Study Link 37

Sample answers are given for Problems 15.

1.

66

3. a. 2

b. 70

c. 360

d. trapezoid

The pentagon is the only shape

that is not regular.

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